There’s never a dull night when K I M is in town; and Friday night at Academy for this virgin ITM contributor, together with hordes of other fervent punters fittingly blossomed into an all night-er to be cherished!

Local lounge dweller (and certified heartthrob) Ashely Feraude was first on the decks, caressing out a soulful mix of down tempo electronica and trance. It is always a shame that people never rock up early enough to experience the gold that the local talent and supporting acts often have to offer, but nevertheless the few that were there lapped it up, along with the approximate 3:1 bar attendant to punter ratio!

Next up was the unmistakable local clown Mikah Freeman with his dorky but oh so adorable moe, and as the floor began to fill up around 11.30, there was no shortage of alcohol or acoustic power as the dial started to crank up on a big night. There was an excited air of anticipation that was building, entwined with the usual lively end of week chatter in the bar area. The VJ-ing was also particularly intriguing and quite mesmerizing I found during this set adding to the vibe and enhancing the all round sensual experience. (I just have to wonder however, if Mr. Freeman has a bit of an obsession with Justice vs. Simian’s We are your friends though, because I have not seen a set of his void of its presence since its release?! A top song indeed though, and definitely a crowd pleaser)

Presets fans, and mindless drunken drop-ins alike had no trouble uniting as one to party on for KIM’s dirty, thumping and eclectic set. The outwardly passive half of the Sydney-based duo clearly enjoyed him self thoroughly tonight; spinning up a storm and winning over a crowd who seemed to be having a pretty damn good time! But make no mistake kiddies – this was no slap dash set from a man who showed he clearly has just as much prowess behind the decks as he does behind a drum kit or vintage synth. From his new single BTTRY to Metallica mash-ups, even the most scrupulous, intellectually unwavering drunks and music nerds were kept on their toes. The stand out track by far, however, was the popular presets track Are you the one? which was belted out in a boisterous echoing chant from the floor during each round of the chorus. For a little over an hour, the F.O.H. bins continued to pound out a distinctive dirty, thumping indie-electro din at the hands of the cheeky curly haired hoodlum that will no doubt continue to play his part in pioneering the Australian underground beats scene.

Many standard drinks, a fistful of dosh and a good few bladder cycles later; the final changeover at the decks took place, with Riot in Belgium settling in at the helm. Without having heard much of these guys besides their work on the MOS mash-ups CD I was all ears, and the boys didn’t disappoint. Although seemingly steering clear of the more mainstream work they did on the well received compilation, the tunes were well selected for the time and mood of the night. La Musique of course got a play and was received well, but in particular the no-holds-barred remix of The acid never lies – whatever it was – went off!!

Oh, and to the guy I scratched bit and brawled with over the signed 12” vinyl Kim threw up, you’ll be pleased to know its taken pride of place in my modest record collection and has already been given several good spins on dad’s old turntable…bloody brilliant!